“Better?” Caiden asks, sitting down behind me and pulling my back up against his chest, his legs sprawled on either side of me. I feel my cheeks heat up at being held by him this way, but thankfully he’s behind me and can’t see.
“I’m fine, why?” I say, keeping eyes trained straight ahead.
*The training can be tough on your body in the beginning. It takes a lot out of you. You need to eat more to prevent it from draining you.*
Is that why he got a blanket? Did he know I was getting tired?
Arianna and Ethan are snuggling together to our right, and to my surprise, Landon takes a seat next to Lydia, talking with her in a low voice. Although she’s smiling and seemingly having fun, she keeps sneaking peaks over at Caiden and me.
After a little while, Ethan leaves and comes back juggling six large cups of steaming cider.
“I have a little something to warm us up.” He winks at Arianna.
I take a sip of the cup he hands me, expecting the same mulled cider I’ve been drinking all day, but instead there’s a sharp bite and a warm, burning sensation that spreads all the way down my throat and chest. I look at Ethan in shock, and he winks again.
“How did you manage to get your hands on this?” I sniff it and get a definite whiff of whiskey.
“I have my ways,” he answers mysteriously.
“Mmmm,” Arianna moans, taking a large sip, and I can’t help but laugh.
I never would have pegged Ethan and Arianna as the type. I can’t even picture them drinking a beer, let alone sneaking alcohol into a park. Landon and Lydia both sip theirs, but Caiden puts his back down without tasting it.
After one more sip, I put mine down as well.
When Arianna finishes hers, she looks over at my cup, still sitting untouched. “You’re not drinking yours?”
“Nah, I’m good. You can have it.”
Even though I can’t see his face, I feel Caiden’s surprise. I’m a little surprised myself, but with everything going on right now, it’s probably best for me to stay clear headed.
Arianna grins, her face lighting up. “Mmm, thanks!”
Caiden hands his over to Ethan without a word, and Ethan smirks at him.
“And which one of you is driving home?” Caiden asks.
Ethan’s smirk grows wider. “Lydia. She’s only had the one. I made hers lighter. We’ll be fine.”
“Do you mind driving my car back?” Caiden asks me. “I guess I’ll be driving Ethan’s.”
Ethan rolls his eyes, but doesn’t argue.
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Imagine me, a designated driver. Olivia won’t believe it when I tell her. Then my stomach sinks. Olivia won’t know, because she still won’t talk to me.
The more they drink, the louder they get. Landon, Lydia, and Ethan argue over which song is the worst, while Arianna vehemently protests, swearing they’re musical geniuses.
I loosen up, joking around with them despite my dislike of Landon. I remember his threats at the circle last night, the way he gripped my shoulders angrily. Looking at him now, you would think I imagined the whole thing. I assumed that, at best, he’d just ignore me, but he’s not even doing that. He’s acting like everything’s just peachy between us.
I shrug, giving up trying to figure out his motives, and just enjoy myself. Caiden continues to sit behind me, holding me closer than I think is strictly necessary — but as much as I hate to admit it, his warmth feels wonderful. Then he tightens his arms slightly and leans in so his mouth is right next to my ear.
“How you doing? Do you need anything? Something else to drink?”
I turn my head a little to look at him. His face is so close to mine I can feel his warm breath on my cheek.
“No, I’m fine, but thanks for the sweatshirt. That was really nice.”
I give him a small smile, glad that he’s not acting distant anymore. He smiles back, just little quirk of his lips. His arms are wrapped tight around me, holding me flush against his body, his strong thigh muscles on either side of my hips. Slowly, his smile fades as he continues staring at me. I lean in closer to him, mesmerized by his emerald eyes, and then the band ends and everyone jumps up cheering.
Caiden blinks his eyes like he’s coming out of a trance and pulls back sharply, letting me go. He stands to stretch his stiff muscles.
I sit on the ground another minute, feeling the cold creep in where Caiden’s body was a moment ago.
“You ready to head out?” He asks the group.
I glance up at him, my stomach sinking when I see his familiar expressionless mask already back in place.
“Well, I should probably find out what the other guys are up to. I’ll catch you later, Lydia,” Landon says, turning to leave, but then he stops and faces me. “And Emerson? About the whole Sarah thing — no hard feelings, okay? I know it was an accident, and it’s not like she didn’t ask for it.” He gives me a small smile and holds his hand out for me to shake.
I put my hand into his warily, half expecting him to crush it in his much larger one, but he just shakes it once and takes off across the field in search of his football buddies.
I frown, watching him disappear into the crowd. What’s the catch? He sounded calm and rational, but surely he hasn’t forgiven me so quickly for almost killing his girlfriend. Well, ex-girlfriend now. Is that the reason? She cheated on him and now he no longer cares that I hurt her? If so, that’s pretty cold. But I still find it hard to believe that all his animosity for me just vanished overnight.
“Alright Arianna,” Ethan breaks into my thoughts. “You got your country fix in. Now can we head back home? It’s freezing!” He pleads. When she pouts at him, he coaxes, “I have more whiskey at the car.” He smiles enticingly.
“Deal!” She giggles, and we set off.
But before we reach the parking lot, a familiar, mocking voice calls out from behind us.
Chapter 8
“Well look who it is…” Josh swaggers up, his arm around Mei’s waist, who looks away uncomfortably. Chris, Kayla and Seb are right behind him, like hounds on a scent.
“Aren’t you two cute.” He says mockingly to Caiden and I. “I guess he doesn’t yet know what a slut you are.”
Lydia gasps and Arianna’s jaw drops to the floor. I play it cool, not letting him get to me. I’ve heard all this before.
“You really need to get some new material Josh. The whole slut thing’s gettin’ a bit old.”
I’m uncomfortably aware of Caiden’s arm tightening around me. I peek over at Sebastian to see his reaction.
His face is red, fists clenched at his sides. He bares his teeth, his feral gaze trained on Caiden. Kayla tries to take his arm, but he shakes her off.
“We got some unfinished business to settle,” Sebastian growls at Caiden.
“She’s just a whore, Seb. Let him have her. She’ll be sleeping around on him soon enough,” Josh sneers.
Arianna bursts forward, her face a mixture of shock and rage as she glares at Sebastian. “Why the hell do you care who she’s dating now? Weren’t you panting all over that skank in lunch yesterday?” She yells, pointing at Kayla next to him.
I feel my jaw slacken at Arianna’s fierce defense. My expression is mirrored by Mei and Kayla, though I think they’re more astonished that Arianna called Kayla a skank than by anything else. In school, Arianna’s always so friendly and quiet. No one would’ve expected her to flare up like this.
“Who the hell are you calling a skank?” Kayla steps forward like she’s going to hit her, but I know she won’t do anything. She has a loud mouth, but she’s all talk.
Ethan puts a calming hand on Arianna’s shoulder, but she refuses to back down. “I’m calling you a skank! What kind of friend are you, to go make out with Em’s ex the day after they break up?”
The wind picks up, throwing her hair out behind her. Clouds start to roll in, darkening the previously clear sky. Dust kicks up from the ground and flies directly into Kayla’s stunne
d face. Mei looks up in confusion.
*What’s happening?* I ask Caiden. *Is Arianna doing this?* The hair on the back of my neck stands up as the scent of ozone permeates the air.
*Yes,* he groans. *She has trouble with her temper too...*
Caiden steps away from me and reaches for Arianna, but she shakes him off, refusing to even look at him. The wind whips around us, scattering paper plates and napkins from food vendors across the ground. Nearby, tents rattle with surprising force.
*She needs to calm down. Distract her!*
I have no idea what Caiden expects me to do. I look around for inspiration. The wind howls wildly, the sky getting darker. A crack of thunder reverberates through the air.
Kayla takes another step toward Arianna. As she opens her mouth to tell her off, I do the only thing I can think of — I leap forward, pull back my fist, and swing as hard as I can at Kayla’s pretty little face.
I connect solidly, knocking her flat on her back.
Mei gasps and covers her mouth. Everyone goes silent, staring.
“You bitch!” Kayla shrieks from the ground, one hand covering her bloody nose.
“Arianna’s right. You are a skank.” Without looking at Sebastian, I turn on my heel and walk away.
“Yeah, Em!” The wind dies down as Arianna whoops and cheers, following behind me. “That was awesome!”
“Seriously? I said distract Arianna,” Caiden whispers angrily. “I didn’t say to knock Kayla out.”
“As a distraction, I think it worked pretty well.” I look up at the rapidly clearing sky.
“And you!” Caiden wheels on Arianna, who’s dancing along beside me. “You know better! What are you thinking, flaunting your abilities for anyone to see?”
“It was just one tiny windstorm.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like anyone in town will suspect anything.”
“We still need to be careful, especially with Silver Lake sniffing around,” I answer, reluctantly agreeing with Caiden.
Ethan’s eyes widen in shock and Arianna gasps, “What about Silver Lake?”
“They don’t know?” I ask Caiden, brows furrowed.
Caiden pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and shakes his head.
“We’re not supposed to tell anyone, remember? Caroline doesn’t want the coven freaking out.”
“You have to tell us now!” Arianna cries. “You can’t keep something like that to yourself!” She seems to be glowing, sizzling with energy, and I wonder if it’s from the booze or something else.
Caiden glares at me like this is all my fault. “We need to leave. We drew too much attention to ourselves. We’ll meet up at your house.”
I look around, studying the people in the parking lot. No one seems to be paying us any mind. There are a couple of kids from school walking toward the fair, too preoccupied with their own conversation to pay any attention to us. But as we start to make our way to Caiden’s car, I notice a guy about our age staring over at us.
He has short black hair and a powerful build. His strange silver eyes catch mine as he stares boldly at me, a strange expression on his face. He’s standing by himself, off near the tree line on the edge of the field.
“Something wrong?” Caiden asks me, forcing my eyes away from the dark haired guy.
“No, I...” I look back across the lot, but he’s gone. “No, I’m fine.” I follow Caiden through the parking lot, unwilling to voice my concern. I’m just being paranoid.
When we reach Caiden’s car, he hands me the keys and tells Lydia to ride with me before leaving us to find the other car. Ethan turns to me, his arm still wrapped around Arianna.
“By the way, nice right hook.” He winks, taking off after Caiden.
* * *
When Lydia and I pull up to my house, Caiden and the others are already there. I lead them into the living room and everyone takes a seat on the white sofa and loveseat.
This furniture was one of my mom’s first purchases when we moved here, but it still looks brand new. Not a surprise, considering how seldom it’s used. With my dad always at work, it’s not like we spend a lot of family time together. If it wasn’t for the housekeeper who comes in once a week to clean, I’m sure the tables in here would be coated with dust.
I refocus my attention on the people around me. Arianna’s still flying high from the showdown at the festival, jumping around like a kid with a sugar rush.
Ethan rolls his eyes at her. “Arianna, as much as I love you, I will be forced to tie you down if you don’t ground yourself.”
“Ground herself?” I look at Ethan questioningly.
Ethan raises his eyebrows at Caiden, who’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, face blank. “You’ve been training her for over a week and you still haven’t taught her how to ground?”
Shaking his head slightly, Ethan turns back to me and answers. “Grounding yourself means releasing your extra energy back into the earth. Whenever you work powerful magick, you need to ground afterwards; otherwise you wind up like her.” He gestures toward Arianna, who’s bouncing around, unable to sit still.
“But I like feeling this way,” she protests. “When was the last time I got to do that? I feel electrified!” She throws her arms up into the air dramatically.
“You don’t use that ability because it’s too conspicuous. People might get a little suspicious if you start throwing around tornadoes and lightning bolts,” Ethan smiles indulgently at her.
Caiden runs his hand through his hair. “Ethan’s right. You need to ground.”
“Awww,” she whines, but she gets up, sits on the floor cross-legged and closes her eyes.
“Did you say lightning bolts and tornadoes?” I look at Arianna skeptically.
“Yeah,” she answers, opening her eyes. “I’m –”
“You are grounding yourself.” Caiden cuts her off. We’ll explain it to her while you’re getting yourself under control.”
Oh boy, I guess he’s still pretty pissed. Arianna gives a loud sigh, but closes her eyes again.
“So?” I direct my question to Caiden this time, not wanting to distract Arianna from whatever she’s doing.
“Arianna has control over the weather: lightning, wind, rain. That sort of thing,” Caiden answers.
“Really? That’s awesome!” I say. “Can I learn to do that?”
Ethan barks out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s just what we need! Two temperamental women controlling the skies!”
“I am going to pretend I did not just hear you call me temperamental,” Arianna answers in a sing song voice from her place on the carpet, eyes still closed.
“Arianna, you need to focus. If you're too distracted in here, you can go outside,” Caiden warns.
“I’m focusing, I’m focusing,” she grumbles.
“And no, Emerson, you can’t. You don’t share that particular archetype.”
“Archetype?”
“Yeah, the majority of our abilities can be traced to certain deity archetype or group. Like the War Gods or the Fire Gods. It’s not an exact science, but for the most part, a witch’s powers tend to fall into one or two particular groups, although some abilities can be found in several different categories.”
“Gotcha, Professor,” I say. Arianna giggles, quickly coughing to disguise it. “So Arianna’s abilities are from the ‘weather controlling’ group?”
Caiden narrows his eyes at me. “It’s called the Sky God archetype.”
“Like Zeus or Thor,” Arianna pipes up.
I turn to Ethan before Caiden can jump on Arianna again. “So what group are you in?”
He tries to keep a smile off his face when he answers. “My bloodlines are from the Underworld Gods. Like Hades and Osiris.”
“Underworld? So you, like, rule the dead?” The question seems absurd before I even voice it.
“Not exactly,” he smiles. “But I can sense spirits. Sometimes I can communicate with them. I’m still working on it.”
&n
bsp; “Riiight...” I drawl. “And you’re from the Aphrodite group?” I ask Caiden, thinking about the lust spell he put me under yesterday. I immediately know it was a mistake to bring that up. His eyes frost over, the planes of his face coming into sharp relief as he clenches his teeth.
“The Love and Lust Gods.” He grits out.
“That’s why he’s able to read and influence people’s emotions. Not just lust and love, but all emotions. It’s also why he can manipulate people’s minds, since emotions are linked to the hormones and electrical impulses in our brains,” Ethan explains, oblivious to Caiden’s coldness.
I hurry to change the subject, not wanting Caiden to dwell on it any more than he already is. He looks ready to chew glass.
“So, where are my abilities from?”
“The War Gods.” Lydia answers without looking at me.
My muscles clench. “You mean like Odin?”
I remember Caiden talking about my tattoo. He said that Odin was probably my mother’s patron God, whatever that means.
“And Morrigan,” she answers, this time in a dreamy voice.
Everyone freezes, staring at her in a strange way. Even Arianna is watching her with wide eyes.
“You are born from the Battle Gods. The Great War has been renewed, resurrected from ancient blood feud. Darkness unfurls on Raven’s wings, death and destruction with it brings. Only the Changeling guards against doom, All Father’s seed in Dark Mother’s womb. To bring an end to the feud requires a price, blood to be paid in sacrifice....”
She continues mumbling incoherently, her face slack, eyes blank and unfocused. Then Lydia blinks, her eyelids flutter, and she slumps sideways out of the chair.
Chapter 9
Ethan leaps off the sofa and catches her before she hits the floor. “Lydia?” He carries her over to the couch and lays her down carefully.
Caiden puts his hand to her forehead and turns to me. “Emerson, can you get us a damp cloth? And something with sugar in it? Cookies, hot chocolate, something?”
“I’ll help her.” Arianna jumps up from the floor and follows me out.
Deceitful Circle (Silent Circle Book 2) Page 6
